It brings the total number of players now signed to Alan Reynolds’ squad to twelve.

Former French U18 midfielder Héry clocked up 28 league appearances for Limerick.

He said he met with Director of Football Pat Fenlon and visited the city and the facilities available to the club and he was really impressed with what he saw.

The twenty-five year old said he came to Ireland to push on and play European football so ultimately that is his hope by the end of this season.

Nigerian born Bohemians front man, Ismahil Akinade said he signed for Waterford because he sees that the club is going places and it has high ambitions.

He says it’s going to be a difficult season as it is down to a ten team league so every point will be important, whether at the top of the table or at the bottom.

Speaking on this afternoon’s double signing for the Blues, First Team Coach Alan Reynolds added:

“We are delighted to be able to attract players of the quality of Bastien and Izzy to Waterford FC. Off the field we are working hard to put together a competitive squad for 2018 and we are certain that both these players will be great additions.

“Bastien emerged in 2017 as a top talent at Limerick. We watched him closely in a number of games towards the end of the campaign for Limerick and he was pivotal in the middle of the park to their good form late on, ultimately helping them steer clear of the bottom three to an impressive 7th placed finish.

“With Sean Maguire now gone from League of Ireland football, Ismahil is arguably the top striking talent in the country and we are delighted to have him on board for 2018. He has shown a great willingness to work hard on and off the field to develop his game and character and we are very impressed with the player we have managed to sign.

Both these signings signal our intent in 2018, not only to survive in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, but also to kick on and challenge in the top half of the table.”